Workplace couture
Shanghai business-fashion brand updates its vision for modern professional women
Lily wants to make every woman feel free to express herself through modern and proper dress.” Sun Mingyang vice-president of the brand
On Oct 9 in Shanghai, Lily, a Chinese business-fashion brand, introduced its upgraded concept of “Chinese New Women” with a fashion show.
Sun Mingyang, the vice-president of the brand, says, “The diversified business scenarios faced by modern women have prompted them to pursue more individualized self-expression: they have more than one side, and they don’t just focus on the present but also dare to explore the unknown.
“Lily wants to make every woman feel free to express herself through modern and proper dress,” she says.
Lily has undergone two transformations since it was created under the wing of Shanghai Silk Group in 2000.
As Sun recalls, there weren’t many local fashion brands in the market to compete with back then, shopping malls were filled with brands from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“At that time, consumers lacked clear needs and preferences, and the purchases they made were mostly price-oriented,” she says.
Still, it was not easy to survive, but Lily put a great deal of effort into providing quality and value for money.
Seven years after its establishment, Lily opened retail shops in first-tiered cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, before gradually expanding to 16 countries and regions in Europe. By 2012, Lily’s annual revenue in overseas regions alone had exceeded $8 million.
Without extra resources to work on market segmentation, it was roughly positioned as a fashion brand for young ladies.
In 2013, the team behind Lily found out that most local brands were people’s second choice because of homogenization in the market.
After considerable research, Lily was transformed into a business-fashion brand.
While most of the women’s business-wear brands were producing traditional black, gray and white suits and skirts, limiting the personality and individual beauty of women, Lily analyzed a targeted consumer group — business women from 26 to 32 — dividing them into three groups.
The brand developed three lines: Art, concise clothes for senior white-collar workers and management echelon women; Modern, a mix-andmatch style for those who have been working for five or six years; and Smart, offering a sense of preppy style for workplace freshmen.
“With the rise of the internet, female consumers, especially those who are financially self-sustaining, began to develop their own personal tastes. As a result, the old wardrobe urgently needed to be replaced,” Sun says. “Women have rules to obey, work environments to fit into, but deep down inside, they want to be seen as individuals. Lily grabbed the chance and offered the proper difference they needed.”
”Maybe too serious, maybe too modern, or maybe Lily” — became the official slogan of the brand.
This year, Lily has started to strike up a dialogue with the businesswomen of today, someone who has multiple identities and unlimited potential.
I used to spend half of my monthly salary on buying clothes from international brands,” says Ma Yilu, who graduated from university and began working in 2017, “but after my family stopped supporting me, I found it impossible to continue that lifestyle.”
“However, as a workplace newbie, I needed to present myself in clothes that make me look smart and professional,” she laughs, “so I started paying attention to local businesswear brands, and that’s when I discovered Lily. It offers the right kind of clothes at a fair price, which perfectly meet my needs.”
Ma claims that Lily provides decent business suits for less than 700 Yuan ($100), and she no longer faces financial turmoil after a shopping spree.
“The price is fair, and the styles are simple, but not too formal,” Liao Wenjie, Ma’s friend and fellow shopper, adds.
On the catwalk, Lily introduced suits in grayishgreen, mint gray, beige, pink, yellow, and classic black and white. The broad shoulder and oversized design in neutral tones presented women’s independence.
Also, colorful, casual knitted wear was worn by everyday people, as opposed to professional models, adding a unique twist to the show.
Sun claims that working women in China are gradually opening themselves up in terms of both ability and aesthetics.
She thinks that, in the past, the image of the working women was more restrained, with serious and dignified outfits for the office. However, with the rise of women’s education levels, they are gaining more control over office discourse and greater power in workplace, with a broader vision than ever before.
“Professions available to women have become much more diversified, and business scenarios are no longer played out in just office buildings and conference rooms, but extend to many fields, such as cocktail parties, art exhibitions and conferences,” Sun says. “It means that the dresses in the wardrobe need to work equally well in different environments and situations.”
Lately, Lily has been frequently appearing on the international stage, including at New York Fashion Week; it employed outdoor advertising, and opened new stores.
It works hard to enhance the volume of Chinese brands in the international fashion field and the global market, and it also wants to encourage local women to express their true, multidimensional selves. To do that, it has also improved its retail shopping experience to better serve the multifaceted women of today’s workplaces.